Covid-19 in the Caribbean
- Post by: Dr Marie-Dominique HARDY-DESSOURCES
- 31 August 2021
- No Comment
Situation update, as of 31st August 2021:
Dramatic health situation in the French West Indies
The health situation deteriorated dramatically at the end of June in Martinique and mid-July in Guadeloupe due to the 4th wave of SARS-CoV2 and the spread of the delta variant representing more than 90% of the contaminations.
Cases have increased dramatically and to this day there are large numbers of patients in emergency rooms. The worsening of the health crisis with the continuous flow of hospitalized patients has been accompanied by an increasing number of deaths of often young people. The number of serious cases is always linked to fragile patients with comorbidities.
In Martinique, where the first covid death occurred on 17 August 2021, 72.2% of covid deaths were recorded during this 4th epidemic wave which began at the end of June 2021. In Guadeloupe the situation is comparable:
The holidays are ending with a still strong presence of Covid-19 and a “very critical” situation. Further reinforcements of health workers are expected, and eyes are on the schools where a new outbreak could start. This is a very worrying point as the vaccination rate remains low. The vaccination coverage rate (at least one injection) of the eligible population (over 12 years old) in Guadeloupe is currently 32.82%, and 30% in Martinique.
In view of the seriousness of the current health situation, the political and health authorities have decided to postpone the start of the school year. Initially scheduled for 2 September, it has been postponed to 13 September in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthelemy and in the red zones in French Guyana.
In the face of this dramatic situation, new voices and new commitments from many personalities are speaking out in favor of vaccination.
| Countries/Territories | Cases 31 August | Cases Per 100 000 | Deaths | Deaths Per 100 000 |
| Cuba | 646 513 | 5 701 | 5 219 | 46 |
| Dominican Republic | 350 017 | 3 293 | 4 007 | 37 |
| Puerto Rico | 203 195 | 6 363 | 2 758 | 86 |
| Jamaica | 67 402 | 2 280 | 1 510 | 51 |
| Guadeloupe | 45 277 | 12 014 | 439 | 116 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 44 481 | 3 178 | 1 278 | 91 |
| Martinique | 34 845 | 9 352 | 405 | 108 |
| French Guiana | 34 375 | 12 127 | 215 | 75 |
| Suriname | 28 840 | 4 920 | 715 | 121 |
| Guyana | 25 333 | 3 214 | 611 | 77 |
| Haïti | 20 850 | 188 | 584 | 5 |
| Bahamas | 18 139 | 4 624 | 354 | 90 |
| Sainte Lucia | 8 111 | 4 459 | 103 | 56 |
| Barbados | 4 931 | 1 714 | 49 | 17 |
| Sint Maarten | 3 641 | 8 956 | 49 | 120 |
| Saint-Martin | 3 273 | 8 783 | 42 | 112 |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | 2 331 | 2 115 | 12 | 10 |
| Antigua & Barbuda | 1 713 | 1 784 | 44 | 45 |
| Dominica | 1 638 | 2 287 | 4 | 5 |
| Saint- Barthelemy | 1 520 | 16 647 | 2 | 21 |
| Saint Kitts & Nevis | 1 053 | 2 008 | 3 | 5 |
| Grenada | 357 | 320 | 1 | 1 |
| Montserrat | 29 | 492 | 1 | 16 |